OrlandoW and ThomasM won this year’s Hoberman Prize for Social Entrepreneurship with their start-up, Uni.
91 students across 17 teams took part in the competition, with the strongest six teams participating in the final round on Tuesday 18 March.
Inspired by his experiences with international shipping, OrlandoW formed the idea last October and began work in January. Uni aims to make global trade more efficient by using AI to automate customs brokerage.
“I was definitely very nervous,” admitted ThomasM. Presenting in Jafar Hall, the boys not only had to impress an audience of peers and Eton staff members, but a panel of veteran investors.
They had 300 seconds to pitch their start-up, which also had to meet the Prize’s criteria of being philanthropic, sustainable, and long-lasting. When formulating their ideas, the boys were encouraged to make use of generative AI to develop solutions to real-world challenges.
Other ventures included a biological filter designed to capture carbon, a smart contracts tool, an AI-powered health app, an AI model programmed to converse with empathy, and a public speaking app capable of providing feedback in over 80 languages.
OE Brent Hoberman CBE (Co-founder of lastminute.com), Cristina Stenbeck (Former Executive Chairman of Kinnevik AB), and Pete Davies (Partner and Head of Developed Markets Strategy at Lansdowne Partners) formed the panel.
While the judges deliberated, the audience showed their approval by stamping their feet for their favourite entry. Uni won both the popular vote and the judges’ favour, receiving the competition’s prize: a two-week internship at Brent Hoberman’s start-up incubator.
But on the night, there was a surprise reward for the winners. The panel, impressed by the boys’ pitch, offered to invest in Uni. “It felt excellent to win,” said OrlandoW. “We are very excited about the investment.”
“It felt completely surreal. That moment took me out of Eton for a few hours,” ThomasM said.
This year is the Hoberman Prize’s 10th anniversary. The boys praised it for encouraging their entrepreneurial pursuits: “It was an awesome evening, and I think everyone should be able to compete in a competition like that.”
